Magic Tree House: Thanksgiving on Thursday by Mary Pope Osborne

The idea of these books is a very good one because it teaching some history, while being interesting to a young audience. I liked that this book started out with some information about why the pilgrim came over to the new world and what they found when they got here. Along with the history lesson, the children in the story also interact with history and the people in it. This definitely adds to the book because stories tend to help people remember information instead of simply hearing facts. I believe that that is one of the purposes of this book, to teach kids about history in a way that is easier for them to grasp. There was one part in this book that I especially liked. During the Thanksgiving meal, the captain said that he was very glad that three worlds could come together to eat and be thankful. I like that because it implies diversity and the importance of it. I believe that is another message that is being shown through this book. Another part that supports this is when the indian chief says "now you must always be kind to those who feel different and afraid". This was a good part of the book because it says that even if someone isn't the same as you or is from somewhere else, it is still important to be nice to them. This is an important message for adults as well as children. At the end of the feast it said that everyone wiped their faces with there napkins, I wonder what they used as napkins. I found that some things in this book were a little bit unrealistic, but that is probably so that it is accessible to younger children.